ADDITIONAL CONCURRING OPINION
VILLARUZ, JR., J.
Further
to the findings of facts and conclusions of law stated in the main body of the
Decision, I wish to add the following:
I
recognize that that the principal Accused in this landmark case is no less than
a former President of the Republic of the
However,
the mailed fist of the law must be applied to convict the guilty, whether rich
or poor, elitist or marginalized, public officials or ordinary citizens, for it
is only then that Courts can maintain the trust and confidence reposed by the
Filipino in the Judiciary as the last bulwark of democracy and it is only then
that we can breathe life into the solemn mandate, deeply etched in our Constitution
that:
“Public
office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity,
loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism
and justice, and lead modest lives” [1]